Time Horizon
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Oneshot, light slash. It's a new school year and, over time, Tanaka will realize that it's okay to accept the changes around the team. All changes, in every shape, size, and form. .::pre-RyuuChika/TanaEnno::.


**Time Horizon**

A Haikyuu! oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Haikyuu!_ characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. More nonsense inspired by my economics classes. Wow. :O Read, review, and enjoy!

\- ^-^3

Tanaka and Ennoshita set up the net while Nishinoya and the others grabbed the rest of the equipment from the storage room. Ennoshita turned and counted heads while he and Tanaka finished setting up. "Wait a minute… We're missing some people."

Tanaka counted and nodded. "Plus, it's too quiet. Oi, Noya-san! Where are the freshmen?!"

"I'm here!" Yachi squeaked, stumbling into the gym.

Ennoshita sighed. "Tanaka…they're not freshmen anymore. Yachi, you didn't have to respond."

Their manager blushed and bowed her head. "Sorry, sorry! I'm just not used to this yet…!"

"I don't blame you, Yacchan," Nishinoya remarked as he and Narita rolled out the ball cart. Kinoshita pushed the scoreboard behind them. "It's been almost two months since the year began…" He sighed.

"Sighing still, Nishinoya?" Ennoshita chuckled.

"But Kiyoko-san and Asahi-san are gone! Graduated!"

"They're not dead."

Tanaka felt his chest twinge a bit, too. "No, I get it." He placed his hand over his heart dramatically. "Now Kiyoko-san has no protection from perverts! And Asahi-san's heart of glass might shatter without Noya's care!"

Nishinoya nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Ryuu!"

"Noya!"

The two knuckleheads stood together and gave their absent seniors a mock-salute.

Kinoshita tossed Ennoshita two balls, both of which the captain aimed at the duo. After they connected, he cleared his throat. "Hey! Get serious. We're the senpai now, and we need to keep our kouhai on their toes. Or at least in line. Does anyone know where they are?"

Tanaka gave him a look and rubbed his back, now sore from where he'd been hit. "No. I don't think Hinata or Kageyama had any retakes to do… Tsukishima's probably just screwing around. And where you find Tsukishima, you know we'll find Yamaguchi."

The captain pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Great. Nishinoya, Narita—could you guys go find them? We need to finish practice early today so we can work on recruitment ideas after."

"Oh!" Yachi held up her hand as though she was in class. "About that, Ennoshita-san, I had some ideas…"

That left those two talking, and Nishinoya and Narita left to get the other players. Tanaka waited on the sidelines, as he had nothing to do but stretch since Kinoshita didn't need his help writing down the teams for today.

It really was strange. The gym felt a lot bigger with four fewer people around. But Tanaka tried not to think about it too much. Nearly two months had passed since the start of what was now his third and last year of high school, and he was vice-captain alongside Ennoshita's captain.

His eyes slid in Ennoshita's direction. Man, that was strange, too. He had never expected to be vice-captain. Ennoshita as captain made sense. But him, vice-captain? Well, at least he got along brilliantly with him…though Ennoshita Chikara could be a hard-ass when the moment called for it.

Thinking on last year and how Ennoshita helped pushed him, Nishinoya, Hinata, and Kageyama, it made Tanaka grin and almost laugh. Ennoshita was a lot like Sawamura in that respect, albeit a little politer about it.

Tanaka paused for a moment. So one captain was like another…did that mean he himself was like Sugawara? He couldn't exactly picture it…though Tanaka knew he was a kindhearted guy. After all, he'd been the ever-helpful senpai to Hinata and Kageyama from the get-go. And these days, Tanaka did a lot of looking after everyone, including Ennoshita…

He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had an odd feeling about that comparison.

As if summoned by thought, Ennoshita came over to Tanaka. "Hey. You all right for practice today? You're spacing out, Tanaka."

The thuggish boy dismissed the idea with a laugh and a wave of his hand. "Sorry, sorry, I'll be fine. I mean, I'm fine."

Ennoshita lifted one sleepy eyebrow but let it go. Shortly after, the rest of their kouhai appeared, practice began, and Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei arrived. Sure, the team's roll call seemed pointless with four fewer names to account for…but all was well otherwise.

Just like Tanaka, everything was fine. Karasuno would be fine—Karasuno _was_ fine.

\- ^-^3

Somehow, the days were passing. It baffled Tanaka when he took the moment to pause and consider that. Before, for a very long time, he had been unable to think about what the team would look like without Sawamura, Sugawara, Azumane, or Shimizu. And yet now—it was as though being confronted with their sudden absence while having to step up to the plate immediately after had given Tanaka no time to worry. Granted, as June dragged on, there was plenty to worry about.

Ennoshita motioned for the second years to run laps outside while he, Yachi, and Tanaka had an impromptu meeting and Kinoshita and Narita began putting things away. "We can't have a repeat of the Interhigh prelims," Ennoshita stated, his arms crossed loosely in front of his chest.

Yachi bit her lower lip, looking ready to cry. "I'm sorry…!"

"Yachi, nothing was your fault," Tanaka assured her. "We just…haven't gotten any new people yet. It's still early."

Ennoshita caught his eye above Yachi's head. While his expression clearly said "What do you mean it's early? Summer break's almost here and we've already lost one tournament," he also appeared grateful for Tanaka's handling of Yachi.

Still, their manager wasn't convinced. "I honestly thought I was doing everything Shimizu-senpai did before, but I just can't get people interested in the club…!"

The boys sighed. "Yachi," Tanaka began, "where's your enthusiasm?"

She sniffled. "Huh?"

"Come on! You were the one who made that poster that got us the funding for our bus last year!"

"But—"

Ennoshita smiled encouragingly. "Don't try to do what Shimizu-senpai did, Yachi. Do what _you_ , Yachi, do."

The blonde's mouth popped open, forming a small "O." She blushed, reminiscent of Hinata, as she twiddled her thumbs. "Then what should I do?"

"Frankly, you're doing everything right," the captain remarked. "It's us who failed you. We don't quite live up to the hype generated last year."

Tanaka frowned at him. "Hey! I thought Noya-san and I beat that negative attitude out of you."

"Sorry." Judging by the slight mischief in his eyes, Ennoshita might have only halfheartedly meant that.

Yachi sighed and looked outside the door, where they could see the second years running. Her eyes brightened, and her smile slowly returned. "Then, doing things the Yachi way, I'll need more photos of you guys."

"You got it," Tanaka replied.

"And maybe it'd be nice to have another friendly match against Nekoma."

"Erk…" Tanaka groaned. "While I like the thought, I don't really wanna see their faces after having lost to them in the Interhigh…"

"Practice what you preach, Tanaka," Ennoshita remarked. "Be yourself. Get fired up—then get Nishinoya fired up, and Karasuno should be fine, even against Nekoma."

Yachi bowed her head. "Well then, I'm off! I'm going to go through my archived photos and see if there's anything I can use from last year's spring high!" She dashed off, waving behind her as her focus returned to her.

Ennoshita told Kinoshita to inform the others that practice was over. Then he headed up to the club room, and Tanaka followed him. Inside, they changed back into their uniforms. "You were good, back there," the captain commented as he closed his locker.

Tanaka puffed his chest out. "See? Maybe I'm good with girls after all!"

"Pfft."

" _HEY_! Don't snicker at me!"

Ennoshita leaned against the wall by the door while Tanaka tidied his pigsty…er, locker, that is. "It's interesting, though, isn't it? You're doing better as vice-captain than you'd originally thought."

"Please don't bring that up right now…"

But the dark-haired boy shrugged. "But it's true. After they announced me as captain, Suga-san and I turned to you and nominated you as vice-captain, and for the rest of the night you looked like Hinata before a match: lime green."

Tanaka sent him his best yakuza glare. "I thought Noya-san deleted that picture."

"I'm tempted to make it my phone's wallpaper."

The thuggish boy grumbled. "This is why we need two female managers. There's too much testosterone floating around here." Tanaka shut his locker, deciding to ignore the mocking glint in Ennoshita's eye. Yeah, okay, so maybe what Tanaka had said just now seemed to be very un-Tanaka, but still! He meant it. They needed another Yachi around…

Ennoshita opened the door, and they left together, the others passing them on their way up. "Kinoshita, you return the key, okay?"

"Got it!" the blond answered.

Before Tanaka even realized it, the two of them were walking home already. "Do you feel like stopping by Ukai-san's store?" Ennoshita asked.

"Ah…not today, since he brought some pork buns to practice…"

"Oh, by the way, we need to do something about Hinata's stamina. I've been thinking we should come up with some regimen to help him spread his energy out over the duration of a game."

Tanaka chuckled. "That's like asking a bomb to detonate slowly. But, all right, I'll give it some thought. Maybe we can compare notes tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good."

Yeah. Somehow, the days were passing. And Tanaka really had no time to worry, or even to develop worries.

\- ^-^3

It wasn't even apparent to Tanaka how comfy they were growing in their rolls. Tanaka's mind became preoccupied with looking after the team just as Ennoshita did, though half the time Ennoshita still scolded him when he and Nishinoya would rile up Tsukishima or get Hinata wound up like a wind-up toy ready to release.

During lunch on a day shortly before summer break, Tanaka and Ennoshita left their class to locate Yachi and Hinata. "We stand a better chance of organizing another training camp if we tip off the members of the other teams," Tanaka insisted.

"Yes, but…" Ennoshita sighed, exasperated. "On such short notice?"

"Hinata's friends with Nekoma's setter, and Yachi's got Seijou's setter's number after the last spring high, when he tried to stop that volleyball from hitting her in the face. Remember that?" Tanaka beamed. "That was so cool of Kiyoko-san, blocking it as if she did that all the time!"

Ennoshita tapped his chin, thinking. "If Shimizu-senpai blocked it, then how did that guy end up with Yachi's number?"

Crap. How Ennoshita said it… Tanaka was in yakuza mode by the time they arrived at Yachi's classroom, where Hinata turned out to be luckily. The underclassmen cleared a path for Tanaka as he strolled in and gave Yachi a look. "Oi, oi, Yachi… Do Noya and I need to start fending off perverts for you?"

"Maybe start by not coming off as a weirdo yourself," Ennoshita stated bluntly while Yachi smiled and shook her head.

Somehow, they made it through a brief lunch meeting, and Hinata said he'd text Kozume right away. Yachi offered to call Yahaba after class, as well. All in all, it was a success, and Tanaka still made it to the school store in time to buy the remaining melon bread.

Nishinoya spotted them on their way back to the classroom before the bell. "Ah! Ryuu! There you are."

"Noya-san? What's up?"

The libero frowned when he approached them. "Aw, man. You ate without me."

"Shorry," Tanaka said around a mouthful of bread.

Ennoshita snickered. "I'll see you back in the classroom, Tanaka."

With just the two of them, Nishinoya gestured for Tanaka to follow him around the corner of the hallway, so they weren't blocking traffic. "Ryuu."

"What?"

"What's with you and Chikara?"

Tanaka blinked and then scoffed. "I don't…?"

"You're never around to hang out with anymore, man."

"Oh. That. Sorry… I guess I've just been caught up, with the club and my studies… Sis wants me to go to university, you know, since she didn't." His smile felt tight. "But I don't know if that's possible…"

Whatever tension rested on Nishinoya's shoulders disappeared. "Oh. Ah, Ryuu! Don't get so down on yourself! Anything's possible if you try! Remember last year when we studied like crazy? And Shouyou and Kageyama still failed and Saeko-san had to drive them to meet us?"

They chatted like usual for the last few minutes of lunch. Then the bell rang, and they returned to their respective classrooms. When Tanaka got back to his, his eyes landed on Ennoshita first in the room.

The captain must've felt his gaze, because he looked up with that typical sleepy smile. "You weren't too rowdy in the hallway with Nishinoya, I hope."

Tanaka looked away and took his seat in front of Ennoshita. "Nah, we behaved excellently like always."

"So long as no toupees went flying again."

He couldn't help it. Tanaka had to stifle a laugh. Then something occurred to him: "Actually, I mentioned to Noya-san that I'm a little distracted these days. Do you think we could study together sometime?"

He almost wished he hadn't looked back, because he saw Ennoshita's Study Demon face. "Oh? You'd like my help again?"

Tanaka groaned inwardly. He really ought to learn by now to be studious from the start like Ennoshita…but he didn't particularly enjoy doing every single assignment their teachers gave…! "If…if you're willing…"

Ennoshita nodded, the Study Demon expression gone. "How does Sunday sound?" he offered, clicking his pencil and turning his attention to his notebook.

"Sunday? But, after Saturday's practice schedule…"

"And I'm sure we could work in some studying during the training camp, should it happen."

"Tch. Fine."

The teacher came in to begin class, and the room quieted. But Ennoshita poked Tanaka in the back. "Ah, I just remembered—I meant to go into the city to buy new sneakers and kneepads. Can we meet after?"

Tanaka glanced over his shoulder. "Why don't I just go with you?"

Ennoshita blinked as though he hadn't considered this and then leaned back. "All right then."

Tanaka faced front and tried his hardest to pay attention. But, honestly, it was a much more interesting topic to consider how dense Ennoshita could be sometimes.

\- ^-^3

"You didn't have to come get me…"

Tanaka tilted his head up, proud of himself. "Why not? My sister offered to give us a ride to the station. Why walk when you can ride instead?"

Ennoshita gave him an unconvinced look but climbed into Saeko's vehicle nevertheless. "You really shouldn't talk like that, being an athlete and all."

Saeko grinned at him in the mirror. "I heard you're gonna help my lil' bro get into university. If that's true, then I'll be your personal chauffeur, Chikara-sensei!"

Ennoshita smiled politely at Saeko, but Tanaka felt the captain press a knee into the back of his seat, making for a rather uncomfortable ride.

At the train station, they didn't have to wait long. Plus, the train wasn't as crowded this late in the morning. It made for a nice change of pace, Tanaka realized.

They sat together and talked about plans for the training camp. "Yachi texted me this morning that Seijou's looking forward to joining us. And then Hinata called, very excited to be seeing Kozume again."

Tanaka whistled appreciatively. "Did either you or Yachi mention the camp to Take-chan or Ukai-san?"

"Not yet. I'll tell them tomorrow."

The thuggish boy laughed. "I bet the other coaches don't even realize we've been arranging everything for ourselves."

"Maybe not," Ennoshita added, sounding pleased with himself. Then his stomach growled, and his cheeks flooded with color. "Ah…sorry… I woke up late, so when Hinata called—well, there went my morning."

"It's no biggie. We can grab something to eat first."

In the city, they considered going to a restaurant to eat, but Ennoshita insisted on merely grabbing a snack. "I might take a while at the store," he elaborated, "and I don't want our day to be a total wash." In the end, they bought a couple of crepes each and walked to the sports store, finishing their food right before entering.

Tanaka hadn't believed him at first, but Ennoshita really scrutinized the sneakers. For Tanaka, "new shoes" typically meant buying a new pair of the same kind he liked. But Ennoshita actually looked for variations in the design, style, and weight… "Even the weight, seriously?"

Ennoshita gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I… Well, I'm still not the fastest person on the team, so I thought that getting some lighter shoes would let me move quicker."

"Huh. Not a bad idea. Oh, man, can you imagine Hinata if he could run around in his bare feet? It'd be like watching a rabbit play volleyball!" They laughed loudly, enough to attract the attention of other customers.

The captain motioned to excuse them politely, and they headed for the aisle of protective gear. "On the other hand," he said, getting back to the previous topic, "I still buy the same kneepads." He bought two pairs, and Tanaka stuck by his side when he went to pay. "Are you sure you don't need anything while we're here?" Ennoshita asked.

"Nah, I'm good." Tanaka meant it, too. He didn't need anything for club, and he had his study materials in his bag, so he was ready for a study session.

The train ride back was as pleasant as the ride in, but Tanaka was glad they could walk back to Ennoshita's house. It was comfy, walking around with Ennoshita. He didn't need to react to quips (as he had to with Tsukishima), he didn't have to act like a proper senpai (as he had to around Hinata and Kageyama), nor did he have to be a laugh (as he felt the need to be around Nishinoya, Narita, and Kinoshita). Around Ennoshita, Tanaka mused that he was allowed to be chill and reserved—a part of the personality of Tanaka Ryuunosuke that wasn't often allowed to come out. Even Tanaka liked a bit of companionable silence every now and then.

Ennoshita's home was cozy, too, which Tanaka liked. He'd been over…once before, now that he thought about it. Maybe back in first year…? Before Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita had taken a break from club activities. As first years, they and Nishinoya had tried to get to know each other better and so had tried to hang out and study together… Granted, back then things had been kind of forced, because, now that Tanaka thought about it, he and Nishinoya should've seen how strained the other three were regarding practice. Still, he was glad that things had changed in second year, and he appreciated their closeness now in their final year.

"Mom offered to make us lunch in a little bit," Ennoshita said as he put his purchases away in his room. He gestured to his desk. "Feel free to set up."

"But there's only one chair."

"I can grab another, or we can spread out on the floor. Up to you."

Tanaka was more comfortable on the floor, so he sat with his back against the side of Ennoshita's bed and dumped the contents of his bag on the floor.

Ennoshita gawked. "What the… Did you bring _everything_?"

"Well, you said to bring what I needed help with. That's everything."

The dark-haired male ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "What did I get myself into…?"

Tanaka laughed and reached up and patted his arm. "It's okay! I'm probably not that horrible at _everything_. Noya-san and I managed to pass with just a bit of help last year. Think along those lines, Ennoshita."

"Still…"

"Still" was right. Ennoshita was a good teacher, but there was no way they could review the material in one night. Ennoshita's mother brought up sandwiches for lunch, and they ate while doing homework, but the day flew by. When the sky darkened outside Ennoshita's window, Tanaka stretched. "We should call it a night."

"For now," the other boy agreed. "But maybe we should start you studying at lunch during the school week, too."

Tanaka pulled a face. "Aww, Ennoshita, c'mon! I can't study _all_ the time!"

"You might have to, if you want to stay vice-captain," Ennoshita responded, frowning.

"Fine, fine… I'll just have to come over again, though. I ain't giving up my lunch break to functions and partici—partiti—part—"

"Participles?" Ennoshita suggested, smiling gently…albeit a little teasingly.

Tanaka reddened. "Oh, shut up."

And that was how Tanaka became a familiar face in the Ennoshita household.

\- ^-^3

Studying with Ennoshita a little bit during lunch allowed for the boys to meet every other night at Ennoshita's home. They didn't live right near each other, as Kinoshita and Narita did, but Tanaka understood it was just an obstacle to handle. Plus, it wasn't too bad when Ennoshita's mother fed him.

Ennoshita seemed a little embarrassed by how his mother acted with Tanaka around. "Are you sure she's not too…I dunno, in the way?" he asked at school. They had a self-study period, but the teacher had left the room, and so most of the students in their class were chatting or doing things that clearly didn't involve studying.

Tanaka sat turned around in his chair, facing Ennoshita. "No, she's awesome. We could never study at my place, anyway. You know how loud I get? Add in Sis, and that's bad enough. But my parents, too?" He laughed at himself. "Well, we had to get our volume from _somewhere_!"

Ennoshita was relieved. "I'm glad you've made some improvement, though. I'm not sure what I'd do if you weren't my vice-captain."

The thuggish boy blinked, unsure how to react. That was…a statement. Of sorts. And Tanaka couldn't quite process it…

"I'm not sure about choosing from the others, I mean."

Oh. Ohh. "Right," the shaven-haired boy said, a little disappointed. But it made sense. Out of the others in their year, Tanaka probably was the best option for Ennoshita. Nishinoya wasn't exactly vice-captain material and couldn't be vice-captain anyway since he was their libero, and choosing between Kinoshita and Narita seemed difficult for Ennoshita, since the three were quite close and Ennoshita likely didn't want to have to choose between his two best friends. Therefore, Tanaka was the happy middle ground. Still, the comment made Tanaka wonder if maybe his friendship with Ennoshita _hadn't_ progressed that much… Either way, there wasn't time to dwell on it. First and foremost, they were captain and vice-captain, and they had to keep their team together while balancing studies. Who had time to fret about their social life?

The next few days gave themselves over to exams, and Tanaka put everything except what Ennoshita had taught him out of his mind. Though he felt unsure about most of his subjects, he didn't have the sense of impending doom that he had last year.

After each exam, Tanaka would dawdle while packing up. He wasn't the best test-taker, but he finished quickly and finished before Ennoshita each time. Without turning around, he silently willed Ennoshita to hurry up and pass in his test, too…but then Tanaka would get back to thinking about that idea that he couldn't dwell on their flimsy friendship, and he'd exit the classroom first. Only on the final day did he wait outside the classroom after the teacher collected all the tests.

Ennoshita seemed relieved. "How are you feeling about exams?" he asked Tanaka, falling into step with him.

"English—eh. History…ha! Math, actually okay."

"After all my help, _that's_ all you have to say?"

"Don't even bother asking about my other subjects. Joking, joking!" Tanaka added hastily when Ennoshita looked particularly grim.

The captain shook his head at him. "Don't joke when it's this hot out already…"

Tanaka grinned, liking that their conversation was lighthearted like normal. It pushed his worries out of his mind. "And tomorrow we leave for the training camp!"

"Training camp!" Nishinoya echoed, joining them by the lockers. "Time to give Nekoma payback!"

"Osu!" Tanaka and Nishinoya high-fived, scaring off the students around them.

The rest of the club congregated by the exit. Leaving the school, they discussed final preparations, such as having everything packed tonight. "We'll be leaving from the school at seven sharp tomorrow," Yachi reminded them all. " _Please_ , don't be late. Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai are driving us there, and Saeko-san told me that she won't be around to give any rides."

Hinata and Kageyama flushed cherry red at Yachi's remark, prompting laughs from all around.

"I suggest you set your alarms for six," Ennoshita picked up, "and eat breakfast before coming, because we won't be making any stops."

"You know Ukai-san will bring along snacks," Narita pointed out.

"Don't bet on it, though. All right, have a good night, everyone." Ennoshita smiled. "We got through exams!"

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi left, silently agreeing. But Hinata and Kageyama looked especially nervous.

Ennoshita eyed them. "We _did_ all get through exams…yes, Hinata, Kageyama?"

Yachi interceded. "Oh, don't worry about them, Ennoshita-san! We studied together, so I'm sure they passed, even barely."

"Yacchan!" Hinata yelped.

"Eek, sorry! I didn't mean to sound harsh, Hinata-kun!"

The third years shook their head. "Well, we'll get going," Narita said to the other three. Kinoshita nodded to them.

Ennoshita gave them a look. "No staying up late playing video games, you two."

"Narita's setting the alarm and I'm staying over, so a few games won't hurt," Kinoshita promised.

Ennoshita sighed and turned to Tanaka and Nishinoya, as the three started walking. "Do I have to worry about you two, as well?"

Nishinoya flared his nostrils in excitement. "Not at all, Chikara! I'll get my beauty sleep so I can take on Nekoma's and Seijou's setters the next five days!"

Tanaka laughed. "Just don't get so excited that you don't sleep at all, Noya-san."

"I won't!" Then Nishinoya split off from them, and it was just Tanaka and Ennoshita once more.

Tanaka had gotten so used to the easy silence between them, that he didn't realize he'd missed his own turn until Ennoshita pointed it out.

"Ah, Tanaka… We're not studying again tonight, you know."

Tanaka reddened and shook his hands. "Oh! Ah. Hahaha! You're right. I just— I think I fell into the routine…"

Ennoshita smiled, but it wasn't teasing this time. It was simple and…well, nice. "Maybe we should've planned like Narita and Kinoshita and had you stay over."

The thuggish boy didn't like the rapid thudding in his chest. "Er, no, don't worry about it…"

"Well, you have the time to grab your things. You _are_ packed, right?" The captain stared him down.

"I, uh…"

Surprisingly for him, though, Ennoshita chuckled. "I figured as much. You know what, Tanaka? Go pack and then come over. You can stay, and I know my mother would love to feed you supper finally, instead of just snacks."

"Are you sure?"

"It also guarantees you won't be late to the bus, either."

Tanaka gave him a dry look. "Gee, thanks…"

"But in all seriousness, just stay at my house." Ennoshita turned nonchalantly and waved over his shoulder. "See you soon."

What a loaded remark. Tanaka hated the itchy feeling he had, and it was all Ennoshita's fault. One moment thinking they're not much more than teammates to suddenly being bosom buddies? What was Tanaka supposed to make of this? Although, "buddies…" The term calmed him, and at home Saeko was stunned to find him packing the night before instead of the morning of.

"You all right, Lil' Bro? You never prepare."

"Huh? Ah, yeah… I'm staying over at a friend's house."

Saeko grinned and laughed. "You and Yuu going to be late together tomorrow?"

"No, Ennoshita's."

"Ohh, Chikara-sensei! Well, sounds like a good friend to me, if he's instilling good habits in you." Saeko stepped into his room and rubbed his head. "My little brother, growing up…"

"Oh, stop it," he groaned, swatting her away. But he appreciated her comments. Maybe he and Ennoshita _were_ becoming just like him and Nishinoya.

Ennoshita found the thought funny when Tanaka arrived and told him. "Me? Like Nishinoya?" He laughed so hard, he had to hold his sides.

"It's not _that_ funny," Tanaka growled before they headed downstairs for an early supper.

"No, I…" The dark-haired boy caught his breath. "Sorry. Why are you worried about our friendship?"

The spiker paused for thought. It would be too rude to come out and question whether what they had was friendship, right? …man. At least Tanaka was getting a lot better about filtering what came out of his mouth these days.

Ennoshita passed him the futon to lay out on the floor while he grabbed two blankets from the hall closet. "Tanaka, we're friends. Teammates, too, and classmates. But friends."

The tension in Tanaka's shoulders lessened.

"We're definitely not like you and Nishinoya, though," Ennoshita added. He turned back into his room with a pleasant but curious expression on his face. "What?" he said.

But Tanaka bit his tongue and did his best not to show how red his face had turned. Why was it that Ennoshita always said one thing too much?

…either way, Ennoshita had given him some hope. They _were_ friends, and Tanaka's stress ebbed bit by bit. Through dinner, conversation with Ennoshita's parents, and their bedtime routines, Tanaka settled into the comfy-ness that was, according to Ennoshita, their different kind of friendship.

Of course, Tanaka didn't sleep a wink that night while Ennoshita lightly snored in his own bed to Tanaka's right, but why should that matter? They were friends, assuredly.

\- ^-^3

Tanaka's lack of sleep showed the next morning when they got up and left. Ennoshita chided him for not resting, but eventually he caved.

"I had _planned_ on talking about our schedule during the ride, but you should sleep if you can," Ennoshita said.

Tanaka yawned his thanks.

At the school, Nishinoya, Takeda-sensei, and Yachi were already there, and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi arrived minutes behind them. While Ennoshita broke off to speak with their teacher, Nishinoya pulled Tanaka aside. "Hey, Ryuu, where were you this morning?"

"Ha?" The spiker yawned again.

Nishinoya furrowed his brow. "I took a detour and went to pick you up, but Saeko-san said you had already left. You'd never leave without me, though."

"Ah, sorry. I stayed over at Ennoshita's." Despite not being very awake, Tanaka could tell Nishinoya felt jilted. "Hey, Noya, I'm sorry. It was last-minute. But it worked out anyway. I'm not late. Though I had a hard time falling asleep…" Again, another yawn.

The libero slowly shrugged. "…all right. I guess you have a point. But make sure to hang out with me, too, while at camp."

"I can't help it—we're all going to the same place, Noya-san."

Nishinoya cheered up some and, after, the other members arrived, as did Ukai-san with the bus. The Karasuno Volleyball Club climbed on, and then they were off. The second years sat in the back, except for Yachi. Nishinoya and Tanaka took aisle seats, but Tanaka wasn't up for their usual roughhousing, and he nodded off early into the trip, with Ennoshita's right arm propping him up. Tanaka had funny dreams while he dozed, but—aside from remembering that one dream had Nishinoya challenging Ennoshita to a duel for some reason—the dreams didn't stick.

The training camp itself was about the same as last year, though maybe a little nicer since Seijou had splurged the most out of the three teams to book the reasonable place in Fukushima—a kind of halfway point between Miyagi and Tokyo since it was only the three schools participating. The onsite gym was large and contained two courts, and the inn was just shy of being a hotel. "Go figure Seijou's used to the lap of luxury" was Ukai-san's first comment as the team unloaded and checked in.

Day one was pretty quick to get into. The respective coaches made some bets about their members and match-ups depending on certain team combinations minus rotations, so the players quickly fell into sets. It was different, playing through a full set and not allowing for rotations, but Tanaka understood what the adults were going for. They wanted to see right off the bat what potential face-offs looked like this season and to spot areas for improvement.

The first day ended with everyone utterly tired. However, at least Karasuno hadn't done a single flying fall this year…so far.

"Hinata, Kageyama, take your time in the bath," Ennoshita told their juniors after supper.

"Buh~" was their response. Considering they'd gone all-out against Kindaichi and Kunimi earlier, it was a miracle they had the energy even to walk on their own two legs without help.

"Hey, why don't we stay up tonight?" Kinoshita asked as the third years returned to their room for the night after bathing.

"What? No…" Ennoshita shook his head at the other four as he sifted through his backpack and found a notebook. "After today, we all need some sleep. Especially those of us who barely slept last night," he added with a pointed look to Tanaka and Nishinoya. They both made faces at him.

Kinoshita wouldn't back down, and he pulled a deck of cards out of his bag from beside the pocket full of snacks. "Just one round of Old Maid and then bed, I swear, Ennoshita."

"But—"

"We survived day one, Ennoshita. Kinoshita's right," Narita said, shuffling the deck.

Ennoshita rolled his eyes while Tanaka and Nishinoya stared him down. "Oh, for crying out loud, _fine_. But just one round, otherwise we won't have learned our lesson from before…"

So, of course, one round became another which became two, three, and so on. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had fallen asleep by the time the third years finally felt tired. Given time, Nishinoya ended up half out of his futon and snoring loudly beside Hinata, who had one foot in Kageyama's face.

Kinoshita was dubbed the winner since the rest of them didn't feel like staying up any longer. "Good to know I remain the king of games," he chirped happily as he put the cards away.

Narita gave him a look and lay down exasperatedly. "Just because you were winning at SoulCalibur last night…"

Ennoshita gave Tanaka a tired glance. "Mind getting the last light?"

Tanaka hit the lights and tiptoed his way back to his own futon. In the quiet of the darkness, he found that he couldn't sleep for the second night in a row. Dammit. What was wrong with him?

"Can't sleep?"

Ennoshita's sleepy voice spooked him a bit. "Nah, sorry."

"Don't apologize." The captain turned on his side, and Tanaka sensed that he had his back to his vice-captain now. "It's probably just the excitement from being at the camp—"

"No, it's not that."

There was a pause. "Then what is it?" Ennoshita inquired, sounding a little more awake.

"I…" Tanaka pursed his lips, his words failing him.

"Maybe it's just your brain not turning off," the dark-haired boy offered. "After all that studying, your mind's still wired for exams even though they're behind us. That happens to me sometimes, too."

Well, that was _an_ answer. Tanaka turned so that his back was to Ennoshita, too, and sighed. "That must be it."

"Goodnight, Tanaka," Ennoshita mumbled, and then he was asleep.

But Tanaka struggled. His mind was a muddled mess, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

\- ^-^3

Day two was iffy and Tanaka realized his rhythm was off. He wasn't playing well, but no one said anything to him except for Nishinoya.

"Hey, Ryuu, don't worry about making it through the blockers," the libero assured him. "Just spike to your heart's content." He clapped him on the back, eyes shining, as if his words had solved everything.

But the day progressed and Tanaka's plays got worse. He could sense Takeda-sensei's and Coach Ukai's eyes following him wherever he moved on the court, and he could sense even mild-mannered Yamaguchi and Yachi watching him when Yamaguchi subbed in for him while they played Seijou. Frankly, it was embarrassing, but it only felt worse that no one said anything to him.

Still, dinner and bedtime was the usual affair, and Tanaka awoke to day three and the second day of his crappy playing. When they played Nekoma in the afternoon, he couldn't even receive Yamamoto's spike which, though powerful, he'd been handling fine before, and even his friend on the other team wondered why the hell Tanaka suddenly couldn't take his attacks.

But the worst part was when he made a bad call. He shouted "Out!" on a ball that was clearly in, and Nekoma won the practice match.

Ennoshita shot him an angry look. "Tanaka—" he started.

Nishinoya cut him off. " _Ryuu!_ " He ran to him and socked him in the arm, grabbing his shirt and shaking him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! This isn't middle school! You aren't just now learning how to play volleyball! Pull your head out of your ass!"

Tanaka understood Nishinoya's words were advice, but he didn't appreciate his friend's attitude. He shoved the smaller boy off. "I know that! Back off, Noya."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei heading their way, so Tanaka took a deep breath and calmed down. Nishinoya did the same and returned to the other side of the court, but the two remained distant for the rest of the day, and, actually, for the remaining two days of the training camp.

Ennoshita several times tried approaching Tanaka with the obvious intention of speaking to him about what had happened, but every time he opened his mouth, something else came out. Like "We can brush up on English, if you want, during the break after lunch" or "Hey, want to go shopping again some weekend after we get back? It doesn't have to be for club supplies" or "My mom wants you to come over again for supper." It was as though he was trying too hard _not_ to talk about Tanaka losing it during the training camp.

Unfortunately, Coach Ukai had no trouble not beating around the bush. "I'm benching you for our last practice match today," he said on day five.

It was the second match of the day, and really the only fun one because the faculty had decided to let the players make teams of their own choosing without drawing school lines. Hinata had joined up with Kozume right away, and they had Haiba, Kageyama, and Kindaichi, too, with Watari as libero. Nekoma's and Seijou's first years were mostly sitting out from the matches pitting their senpai against senpai, and Tanaka really had wanted to participate on Hinata's team just because it seemed like the most energetic. Then again, playing with Ennoshita, Yamamoto, Yahaba, Tsukishima, and Nishinoya seemed like a lot of fun, too…or at least it had until he and Nishinoya stopped speaking. So Narita played in his stead.

Tanaka stood off to the side with Kinoshita, Yamaguchi, and Yachi, quietly stewing as the last game of the camp started up. Yet, though he was used to feeling more riled as time passed and his issues weren't resolved, Tanaka surprisingly cooled off. He still didn't understand why he'd been playing awfully, but it was invigorating, watching the others play—and rather brilliantly, too, despite never having played together before.

Ennoshita and Nishinoya had a good handle of their side, and Yahaba and Narita were great at keeping Yamamoto from strangling Tsukishima. But the other side had Hinata and Kozume, a duo which worked almost as well as Hinata and Kageyama typically did, and their side won in the end, despite Haiba crashing into Kindaichi and Kageyama several times out of excitement from getting to play with both Kozume and Hinata.

Everyone called it a day afterwards. After hitting the baths, there was a large meal that was something between lunch and dinner, and then the clubs packed up and headed out. On the ride back, Karasuno was fairly quiet. Tanaka sat beside Ennoshita again, but on the inside this time, since he and Nishinoya had yet to make up.

For a while, Tanaka was pretty certain Ennoshita wasn't going to bother him about his poor performance. They even made it back to town before Ennoshita turned to him and mumbled a "hey."

"What?" the shaven-haired boy prompted gruffly.

Ennoshita waited until Tanaka faced him, and Tanaka frowned upon seeing his captain's haggard expression. "Are you sure you don't know what happened at the camp?"

The thuggish boy sighed and made a face. "…maybe you were right and my mind wasn't in the right place." He jolted when Ennoshita leaned in and stared at him hard.

Then he leaned back. "Sheesh… Who are you and what have you done with Tanaka Ryuunosuke? Maybe your sister's hope that you get into university is weighing more on you than you thought."

Tanaka tried laughing. "No, I'll be fine. I mean, yeah, things are changing around here… People are coming and going—well, going more than coming, since we still haven't gotten any freshmen."

Ennoshita gave him that unconvinced look Tanaka had come to learn very well since the start of the year, and it told him that Ennoshita always knew more than he let on. He sat back in his seat and they rode in silence for a few minutes. The bus turned on to the school's road, and Ennoshita exhaled. "You'd tell me if being vice-captain is too much pressure on you, right?" he asked quietly.

The spiker didn't know what to say. He didn't think that was the impression he gave off.

"If it _is_ too much, just tell me. I can take it." Ennoshita flipped open his phone to check for messages, but he wasn't finished. "Seriously, just tell me, Tanaka. But don't make me rely on you when you can't be dependable."

Though he obviously wanted to give the impression of checking his messages, Ennoshita's thumb didn't click on a single button. Tanaka had to look away, too.

Saeko was waiting for him when they pulled into the parking lot. She waved to Nishinoya and Ennoshita, but the libero waved and hustled home, while the captain ducked his head politely, squeezed Tanaka's shoulder encouragingly—maybe he hadn't lost his faith in Tanaka yet—and went on his way. Tanaka climbed into Saeko's vehicle, tossing his bag in the back. His sister gave him a once-over. "Nice to see you, too, Lil' Bro," she said sarcastically.

He grunted. "Please don't start."

She glanced at him as she turned around and pulled out on to the road. "You look like someone ate the last melon bread in front of you. What's gotten into you?"

Tanaka stared out the window. "I just…"

"Hey." She reached over and patted his knee, not tearing her eyes from the road. "You're not fretting about post-high school plans, are you?"

"Why does everyone assume that's it?!"

"Ryuunosuke."

He shut up.

"Don't let my hopes, Mom and Dad's hopes for you get in the way of your happiness. Keep in mind you're still in high school. Sure, your last year, but you're still a teenager. Have fun, play volleyball, be the cool little brother you've always been."

"Sis—" he interjected, turning red.

She grinned. "I'm not telling you to let your grades be as abysmal as they were in year one, but you'll have plenty of time to stress about the world and your life when you're an adult. You'll find your Shimizu-chan someday."

Tanaka groaned as they arrived at home. "Oh my god… How the hell did this turn into that? I never said anything about Kiyoko-san."

"I'm your big sister. Big sisters know these things."

He gave her a wary look. What the hell did Saeko mean? Sure, Tanaka was still a casual flirt, but volleyball was his current love right now. He and Nishinoya missed Shimizu's beauty, of course, but—

Ennoshita's sleepy smile flashed in his mind.

Tanaka's eye twitched as he put his things away in his room. Shimizu, Ennoshita was not. Besides, his muddled mind was blurring the lines between two completely different subjects now and really all he wanted to do was clear up the air from this past week.

The thuggish boy texted Nishinoya: _Yo. Sorry I was an ass. My rhythm was off and I took it out on you. Wanna hang tomorrow afternoon?_

Nishinoya's reply was instantaneous: _Yeah, you were an ass, but if you realize that, then you're already better. And DEFINITELY. I'll bring snacks if you haul out the movies._

Tanaka grinned and laughed. He was glad that he and Nishinoya could always make up so easily. As much as he wanted a girlfriend, Tanaka was more than fine with his guy friends—male friendship required less maintenance and was easier to manage. Speaking of which…

He began composing a second text but gave up halfway through and just called Ennoshita. "Whatever you say can't wait until tomorrow?" Ennoshita asked, though Tanaka could hear the smile in his voice.

"Come on, it's summer break. Live a little and stay up late, Ennoshita."

"Mm-hmm."

"I just… Sorry about earlier. I can be dependable and I can be vice-captain. I just had an off week and it—it was nerves getting to me, like you said."

There was a long pause. "Mm-hmm," Ennoshita repeated. Dammit. Would this guy ever take Tanaka seriously?! "Well," he continued, "since you insist that it's break, then I suppose I can let it slip. Just…take it easy and don't work yourself up again when school starts back up and we're playing games for real. Okay?"

"Okay." And Tanaka meant it.

\- ^-^3

The rest of the break flew by. Nishinoya came over half the time and made up for lost time. Though Ennoshita had to remind them about summer homework, and all the third years gathered at Ennoshita's house the week before the last of vacation to finish their work. That made Ennoshita's mother extremely happy because she had more mouths to feed.

September began, and Tanaka resumed the routine he'd started months ago. He made a little more time for Nishinoya, but he was back to spending most of his time with Ennoshita. He was breathing more easily, and it felt as though his stress had flown away from him.

Yachi commented on it during one practice. "Tanaka-san, you seem a lot happier. Did something good happen?" She smiled brightly.

"Ah, no… Not really." He grinned back. "I think I just didn't know what to do with myself during the break."

"What do you mean?"

"Yachi-san!" Yamaguchi called. He motioned for a towel.

"Oh, coming!"

Tanaka watched his juniors take a break from receiving tosses. "Well," he mumbled to himself since Yachi had left, "I think I just needed the comfort of the routine Ennoshita gave me…"

As if summoned by Tanaka's thoughts, Ennoshita picked up his head and glanced at his vice-captain. He gave him a quizzical, sleepy smile, like asking "Who, me?"

Tanaka's faced warmed and he glared at the captain, looking away. If Tanaka had been paying attention, he would've recognized that as an inkling…but he had other things to think about.

Another inkling appeared when, later in September, Nishinoya pointed out to Tanaka that, despite watching movies over at Tanaka's house, they weren't seeing movies together as often anymore. Tanaka replied, "Oh…sorry. I've been out and about with Ennoshita."

"Chikara? But he doesn't even like hardcore action movies!"

And Tanaka paused to think that, though he liked most of the same movies as his best friend, even _he_ wasn't the biggest fan of hardcore action movies, either…

That made him ponder if he had changed, or was changing. Normally he would've just gone alone with Nishinoya. But being vice-captain, studying to go to university, growing closer to Ennoshita… It was almost as though Tanaka was, as Saeko had said, growing up.

Hmm. Growing up. Maybe it wasn't as absurd a thought to him now as it had been before. Besides, it didn't mean leaving everyone around him. After all, Azumane was working locally and had hung out with Nishinoya a few times over the summer. Yes, Sawamura and Sugawara had left early to find an apartment to share in the city since their first year of university had just begun, and Shimizu had gone away for school, too, but Yachi got emails from Shimizu every now and then, and Sawamura and Sugawara kept tabs on their old team by texting or emailing Tanaka, Ennoshita, Hinata, and Kageyama from time to time.

Ennoshita didn't have an opinion either way on whether Tanaka was growing up, though it likely would've helped if Tanaka had brought up the subject to begin with so that the captain could comment. "The spring high prelims are coming up soon for us" was all he had to say as they hung out in Ennoshita's room to kick off the weekend in early October.

Tanaka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. And we'll be fantastic, promise."

The dark-haired boy snorted and settled on the floor beside Tanaka. A while ago, he had fretted about sitting at his desk or sitting on the floor, but nowadays he sat beside Tanaka without a second thought. He cracked open a book that, for once, wasn't a textbook. "How about you say something like that _after_ we've won it?"

The thuggish boy whipped out one of his better yakuza glares. "You lookin' to start something, Ennoshita?"

Ennoshita rolled _his_ eyes. "There's a saying, Tanaka, not to count your chickens before they've hatched."

"Whatever…" He poked his friend's book. "You say that, but—shock!—even you're taking a break from focusing on school or volleyball for a second."

"Because it's important to relax, dummy. Though I know I don't always remember that," he added in a small voice, his cheeks pink.

Tanaka stared at him, and the pink deepened almost to red.

"Stop staring, please."

Tanaka tried to laugh, but it came out as a choked chuckle as his face grew warm, too. Sheesh. Whatever Ennoshita had was contagious, Tanaka decided. He flipped through some of Ennoshita's comics, trying not to think about whatever it was that was contagious and the fact that they were goofing off together, alone.

One of the manga had characters who were still friends, even in college, and it brought Tanaka's thoughts back to Sawamura and Sugawara. He hadn't been thinking about their seniors a lot until recently, but that was likely only because they were getting closer to finishing their final year.

"Daichi-san and Suga-san started their studies," he thought aloud.

Ennoshita took a second to emerge from his novel. "Hmm? Yes. Technically, they've already been at it for a month." He peered at Tanaka, who had stretched out on his back on the floor. "What brought that up?"

"Nothing, just thinking…"

The more Tanaka thought, the more clearly he recalled thinking about their old captain and vice-captain towards the start of the school year. What had he been thinking back then? That he and Ennoshita were like Sugawara and Sawamura, respectively? Although that hadn't been quite right. Sawamura and Sugawara had been _extremely_ close at Karasuno, practically attached at the hip, and Tanaka suddenly remembered a detail in an email from Sugawara saying they'd starting looking at apartments in the city before their acceptance letters had even arrived…

"SHIT."

"I'm sorry?" Ennoshita fumbled, having jumped at Tanaka's expletive which had broken the quiet.

Tanaka waved him off and sighed, covering his face with the manga. "Never mind," he muffled from under the book.

"All right," his companion conceded.

How had Tanaka not realized it before? No, his imagination had to be running wild…but something told him he was right, that the former captain and vice-captain were much more than friends or teammates. After all, Tanaka wasn't the book-smart kind of person as Ennoshita was; he was street-smart…heart-smart and people-smart.

But if that was the case, then the comparison of them to Sawamura and Sugawara was… Hell, was it _accurate_? Considering the ease with which they'd grown closer, how they handled the team, how Tanaka's anxiety had left after the training camp since they'd get to hang out alone again, and Saeko's words…

Tanaka grimaced to himself. Hell, no. Saeko couldn't be right! Not about this! So it was time for an experiment. "Ennoshita," Tanaka mumbled, nudging the other boy in the side with his knee.

Ennoshita sighed but ignored him.

Hmm. Maybe Tanaka was getting worked up over nothing after all. Yet… "Ennoshita~" he pestered, continuing to nudge Ennoshita in the side.

The captain pulled a face and shoved Tanaka's knee away. However, he closed his book and gave Tanaka a "You're hopeless" look. "If you wanted my attention, all you had to do was ask. What?"

…damn. Ennoshita was, in fact, cool, and Tanaka felt the need to cover his face with the manga again. "Er, nothing…"

Ennoshita reached over and lifted the manga up, peeking at his friend. "Sorry. You're bored just hanging out quietly like this, aren't you?"

"Ah, no, actually, I'm fine…"

"It's fine." Ennoshita smiled and grabbed his backpack, rifling through it. "Narita loaned me SoulCalibur yesterday—wanna play?"

"Sure," Tanaka agreed, and he was glad to take a controller and turn his face towards the small TV and play a videogame to distract himself from turning cherry red like the lollipops his sister loved. It was a tad disappointing and kind of annoying that Tanaka appeared to be the only one bothered by their being alone together, but, he had noted a long time ago, Ennoshita could occasionally be dense.

Frankly, that was okay. If it had taken Tanaka this long to realize exactly why their "friendship" was not like his friendship with Nishinoya, then he could probably hold out long enough for Ennoshita to realize it, too. He could probably wait through the practices and the spring high and let Ennoshita reach the conclusion on his own. He could probably hold out until the Christmas break at most, because—though Saeko had reminded him that he was still young and needed to enjoy his final year of high school—he found that he wanted to enjoy the rest of the year with his friends and, really, with Ennoshita. Ennoshita Chikara was dense, but smart, so Tanaka could hold out for him to realize what was developing between them.

…probably.

\- ^-^3

 **WELL. This took forever. I love this ship so much and am working on a large project for them, but I really wanted to write this for a few reasons: to compare them to the idea of Daisuga (because I really see them as the next captain and vice-captain), to try writing from Tanaka's perspective (which is HARD; writing from Ennoshita's POV is much easier for me at this point, I think), to write about what it might be like after the third years graduate, and to write a fic in which the characters really easy into their closeness, albeit slowly. I wanted it to feel natural and as though the feelings were happening without their realizations. I truly believe Tanaka is people-smart and would be more perceptive about things, hence his reactions to having to share his time with Ennoshita with everyone else at the training camp (plus he, as mentioned, had fallen into a nice routine which mostly consisted of being around Ennoshita, and I don't think Tanaka handles change well) and his observations about Daisuga being analogous to him and Ennoshita. Also, sleepy Ennoshita being dense is so cute… -w- I love him, like, A LOT. Though I struggled through this, I could almost see a sequel/companion fic from Ennoshita's POV…oh lord. Poor Tanaka.** _ **Could**_ **he hold out until Christmas? Haha…! XD Lastly, a time horizon is an economic term meaning that, with time, you can be more responsive to the price of an item; I thought it fitting here since, with time, Tanaka becomes more responsive to Ennoshita (and more receptive to their closeness and what it means).**

 **Regarding the timeline of things—I hope it made sense, and I know some things seemed stretched (like the training camp—sorry!). I also didn't realize until I was well into the fic that Ennoshita and Narita were in the same college-prep class, so…whoops. Let's just say Tanaka managed to squeeze into (barely) the college-prep class so he can be classmates with Ennoshita, and Narita's in a separate section. c: *citing artistic license, lol***

 **Thanks for reading, and please review! And check out my other [** _ **HQ!**_ **] fics if you liked this.**

 **-mew-tsubaki :3**


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